4 players to watch in Sunday's preseason games

Week 3 of the preseason wraps up Sunday with the Houston Texans traveling to New Orleans to take on the Saints and the Arizona Cardinals visiting the Oakland Raiders.

Here are four players to watch:

Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans

This will be Hoyer's first appearance since being named starter over Ryan Mallett, and his most extensive action of the preseason.

The 29-year-old struggled in the Texans' 14-10 loss to the Denver Broncos, completing 7-of-11 passes for 52 yards and getting sacked twice. Now that he has a secure hold on the starting job, it will be interesting to see how he and his teammates respond.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints

Snead has been making waves at training camp in recent weeks, drawing comparisons to former Saints wide receiver Lance Moore and being singled out by quarterbacks Drew Brees and Ryan Griffin for his strong performance.

The Saints will likely keep five or six receivers on their final roster, and head coach Sean Payton said Snead is "right there in the thick of it." A big play or two Sunday would certainly help his chances.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

After spending most of training camp nursing a hamstring injury, Johnson finally got a chance to show what he can do last week against the San Diego Chargers. The third-round pick didn't disappoint, either, rushing for a game-high 66 yards on 13 carries.

While Andre Ellington is locked in as the starting running back, Johnson is expected to play a significant role in the Cardinals' backfield this season.

D.J. Hayden, CB, Oakland Raiders

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie threw his support behind Hayden after allowing Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers to walk away in free agency, but things have not gone well for the former first-round pick so far this preseason.

Hayden had a particularly rough outing in the Raiders' 20-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, drawing a penalty for illegal contact and giving up a 10-yard touchdown pass. This is a pivotal year for Hayden, and if his struggles continue, he could be in danger of losing his starting job.